Our Little Secret

Chapter 79

Sarah

It's Christmas. I jolt awake and have one thought in my head. Nothing else is consuming my mind and I am so excited I nearly combust.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. I chant in my head as I run downstairs and get my annual box of cookies that are placed in the cupboard above the microwave. Along with that I get my glass of milk and place it down on the coffee table. Then I sit down in front of the TV and open our cabinet which contains diverse movies. Mum's a bit a collector and refuses to switch from DVD to something else. Picking out the one and only, Singing In The Rain, and putting in the DVD.

I do this every Christmas and have done since I can remember. With a big smile on my face I open the cookie box and lean back as the movie starts. The next one and a half hour is spent in pure happiness and wonder at the actors ability to step. Especially Gene Kelly's, though I've always had a soft spot for Donald O'Connor.
Mum joins me halfway through the movie, joining me under my blanket and taking a cookie from the box.

"Merry Christmas, honey." She whispers and kisses my forehead before taking a proper seat.

"Merry Christmas." I smile and snuggle up against her. We sit in silence and munch on our cookies whilst watching the film.

"I wish Lana was here." I tell her honestly, breaking our comfortable silence.

"Me too." Mum sighs. "I hope she finds her way home soon. I haven't seen that girl in forever."

~

Christmas goes by incredibly fast and before I know it we have already eaten dinner at grandma's and grandpa's. I can tell that Jack is finding all of this very uncomfortable and I thought I'd do too, however I've tried my best to ignore him today and succeeded quite well. I can understand that he's feeling a bit alienated celebrating Christmas at my grandparents along with my mother, though I honestly don't care. Had he not acted like a completed idiot we could have had a good time, but now things are like they are because of him and his actions.

Grandma wants to know everything about him though, she finds him oh so interesting. Just like with me and my mum, he has managed to charm yet another female in the Reed family. I wonder if he's made of some special materia that draws us to him. I listen to their conversation in amusement, almost laughing out loud at times when Jack comes up with the most horrific lies about his life. Apparently he is on the school's football team and takes his studies very seriously. He has never had one ounce of alcohol his whole life and is more celibate than the pope. I have to bite down on my lip to keep myself quiet.

I can see that grandma has a hard time believing what he's saying. Just like my mum she's worked as a therapist for younger adults and heard it all. She must find it very strange that a boy with such good looks as Jack haven't been able to swoon at least one girl. How I'd love to add some parts to his story...

However I don't. It's none of my business and I keep conversation with Jack as non-existant as possible. So far it's been going pretty well and we've only spoken a few times today. First was when he came downstairs this morning, we did wish each other a Merry Christmas.

Second time was when we were giving each other presents. He gave me a semi long silver necklace with a small drop shaped charm attached to it. I was surprised and a bit touched. I wasn't sure if he'd even gotten me anything and felt somewhat bad over my present, which was only a book. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe to be more exact. I know Jack isn't very fond of reading, but thought the book may interest him. It's fairly short and one of my favorite classic novels. I thought he might like it because it's of the horror genre and not your every day book.